1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card cassette to be attached to a card producing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, more and more card producing apparatus have been put into actual use. In fact, these card producing apparatus are used with unattended contracting machines set by a loan company, capable of printing and producing membership cards (having attached thereon magnetic stripes). In practice, a card producing apparatus is usually mounted on an unattended contracting machine, and a security associated with the cards to be produced by the card producing apparatus is considered to be quite important. In particular, it is very important for people to take precautions when cards are supplemented in order that the cards can be prevented from being stolen.
In a conventional card producing apparatus, cards are usually stored in a case-like area within the apparatus on which a hopper has been fixed. In order to prevent a possible theft, the hopper was usually covered up by a cover means which can be locked up by a key. When the cards within the hopper have all been produced out, new cards have to be supplied into the hopper. This, however, will cause a security problem when the cards are being supplemented into said hopper.
When cards are to be supplemented, since the hopper has been previously fixed on the card producing apparatus, a person responsible for the card supplement has to unlock the cover means and to set the cover means through his manual operation. When an operation for supplementing cards is carried out by a guard man in accordance with an instruction from a loan company, the guard man will have a chance to directly touch the cards which are membership cards of the loan company, hence giving him a chance of stealing one or more cards.
Since the cards produced by the card producing apparatus have magnetic stripes and since there is a high possibility that a card may be used for evil purpose if it is stolen, it is usually required that the same security measure be taken as if we are dealing with some real money, i.e., cash. For this reason, when card supplement operation is to be carried out, such an operation should be performed by a staff member of a loan company.
However, as far as a loan company is concerned, it does not usually wish to send many of its staff members to many of its unattended contracting machine booths. Instead, a loan company often wants a security company (having a contract with the loan company) to carry out the card supplement. In practice, it is required that card supplement be performed in the same manner as in an automatic cash paying machine. Namely, it is necessary to prepare a card cassette (a money safe) into which cards have been set in advance, so that the desired card supplement may be effected simply by replacing a hollow cassette (having no card remaining therein) with the prepared card cassette.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a card cassette which can be easily replaced by another one, without a necessity of having a guard man to touch the cards.
According to the present invention, a card cassette is provided having a shutter opening/closing means which includes a pair of pins for positioning the card cassette attached in advance on a card producing apparatus, and having a pair of pin holes formed on the card cassette, so that the pair of pins can be inserted through the pair of pin holes in order to control a shutter provided on a card outlet of the card cassette, in a manner such that when the card cassette is attached on to the card producing apparatus, the shutter is opened automatically, when the card cassette is released from the card producing apparatus, the shutter is closed automatically, characterized in that the card cassette comprises:
the opening/closing means having a pair of slide guide members each including a notch so formed that when each of the pins has been inserted through each of the pin holes of the card cassette, each of the pins can get in contact with an inclined portion of the notch, also having a pair of slide springs urged against a sliding movement of each of the slide guide members, further having the shutter so formed that said shutter can get in contact with the inclined portion of each of the slide guide members and that as a result of the sliding movement of each of the slide guide members, the shutter can be opened;
the card outlet for producing a card one by one from the card cassette; and
a protection means capable of preventing a possible contact from the outer side of the card cassette to the cards.
Further, according to the present invention, a double-structured card cassette is provided which is adapted to store a number of cards and can be installed on to a card producing apparatus, characterized in that said card cassette comprises:
an opening/closing means provided in an inner box and at the card outlet of the card cassette, which is closed automatically as soon as the card cassette is released from the card producing apparatus, and is opened automatically as soon as the card cassette is installed on to the card producing apparatus;
the card outlet for producing a card one by one from the card cassette; and
a protection means capable of preventing a possible contact from the outer side of the card cassette to the cards.